ANAHEIM, Calif. – While new UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos’ impressive first-round finish of the previously undefeated Cain Velasquez garnered the lion’s share of attention during Saturday night’s post-UFC on FOX press conference, the Brazilian certainly wasn’t the only fighter to net an important win.

Among others, the consistently underrated Ricardo Lamas (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) remained unbeaten in the UFC, and 22-year-old Dustin Poirier (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) continued his rise up the featherweight ranks.

But perhaps one of the most shocking performances of all at Saturday night’s fight card in Anaheim, Calif., was from “The Ultimate Fighter 12″ cast member Alex Caceres (6-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who looked like a new man at 135 pounds.

“I felt really great,” Caceres said following his dominating decision win over an always-tough Cole Escovedo. “It was very exciting to actually come up with my first win in the UFC coming off two losses in a row. I felt it was my last chance.”

In all likelihood, it probably was. The boisterous “Bruce Leroy” was 0-2 in official UFC contests after being submitted by both Jim Hettes and Mackens Semerzier in previous outings. But after dropping to 135 pounds for Saturday night’s contest, Caceres looked like a legitimate UFC fighter. His speed and variety in the striking department frustrated Escovedo and, perhaps most shockingly, it was Caceres who actually offered the most sincere submission opportunities when the action hit the mat.

While the fight took place on the evening’s preliminary card, it was scheduled on one of the most historic nights in UFC history. Nevertheless, the 23-year-old said he didn’t let the moment spoil his glow.

“It was a big stage, but this time I felt that I wasn’t really concerned about all the outside aspects of the fight,” Caceres said. “I was actually completely focused on the person in front of me. I think that made a huge difference and kept me calm during the battle.”

Lamas takes blue-collar approach

A six-time WEC veteran, Lamas always seemed like a forgotten man in the now-defunct promotion’s 155-pound division, despite a respectable 4-2 mark during his run. But since dropping to 145 pounds for a pair of fights in the UFC, Lamas has looked like a legitimate contender.

On Saturday night, Lamas engaged in an entertaining back-and-forth affair with veteran Cub Swanson. The preliminary bout brought the crowd to its feet in the early going, and the two took turns winging heavy blows and mocking each other with wide-eyed grins.

Swanson appeared to hold a slight edge as the fight progressed in the second round, but Lamas shocked him with a swift transition into a perfect arm-triangle choke.

Solid win over a quality opponent, but Lamas refused to celebrate too intensely.

“I felt pretty good with my performance,” Lamas deadpanned.

The contest was an early clubhouse leader for “Fight of the Night” honors before Ben Henderson and Clay Guida entered the cage and claimed the check most MMA pundits felt was rightfully theirs before the card even began. Nevertheless, Lamas still pocketed a cool $65,000 for the “Submission of the Night.”

Fighting in front of a reported 14,019 fans meant Lamas was performing in front of the biggest crowd of his career, but “The Bully” downplayed the challenge. Now 6-2 under the Zuffa banner, Lamas insisted it was just, well, business as usual.

“Performing at a venue like this isn’t very new,” Lamas said. “I’ve done it before in the WEC. I’m just glad that I came out and performed to the best of my ability. I’m just happy with the outcome and happy to be a part of the UFC.”

Poirier remains perfect at featherweight

Tim Credeur protege Poirier moved to 3-0 at 145 pounds and may very soon find himself among the division’s top contenders. After all, it was Poirier who turned the division on its head by defeating previous No. 1 contender Josh Grispi via unanimous decision back in January at UFC 125.

After following that win up with a decision victory over Jason “Shotgun” Young at June’s UFC 131, Poirier kept his 145-pound record unblemished with a second-round submission finish of two-time “Fight Night” bonus winner Pablo Garza.

While it was a key win for the Gladiators Training Academy product, “The Diamond” was just happy to finally get a finish in the octagon.

“This is my third fight in the UFC – two decisions in a row,” Poirier said. “Of course it felt great to get another ‘W,’ but my first finish in the UFC – really a lot of hard work, and it feels great. I really can’t explain how I feel right now.”

Poirier may soon need to find the words. His lone career loss, came in a WEC debut fight with Danny Castillo (a bout that was contested at lightweight), and Poirier is now 4-1 under the Zuffa banner and boasts a four-fight win streak.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.